Taken
by Apple Martini
Summary: During a routine battle, Rogue, Remy, Kitty and Piotr are kidnapped by an unknown foe. While the XMen struggle to find them, the four mutants must discover who took them, and more importantly, why. Romy & Kiotr.
1. Chapter 1

I own nothing:-)

Kitty thought off-handedly that it was a truism that women were attracted to shiny things. However, this wasn't the case at the moment, as she and the shiny thing in question—Colossus—were locked in combat. He wasn't being nearly as brutal to her as he could have been, for which she was thankful, but she was still getting seriously annoyed.

"Can we please get this over with?' Kitty demanded, ignoring his metallic arm gliding through her torso, her powers protecting her. "I have a calculus exam tomorrow!"

He said nothing—he rarely did—but he gave her a metallic smirk and continued to pummel her, which was as effective as pummeling air. Kitty sighed again in frustration and hoped that Rogue was faring slightly better.

Wolverine had thrown a fit when Kitty and Rogue had volunteered to go into the installation, especially when Jean had confirmed that the Acolytes themselves were personally carrying out the mission for Magneto. What the mission entailed, exactly, remained to be seen.

After arguing and pleading, Kitty and Rogue had won Logan over and he'd let them go. The installation in question was in the middle of a densely wooded area upstate. Most of its security was automated, but live reinforcements would come in if an alarm went off. Kitty had convinced Logan that she alone had the finesse to negotiate the tricky interior of the building without setting off an alarm.

And Rogue, of course, was the only one who could drop Gambit.

Storm had landed the X-Jet in a nearby clearing and Kitty and Rogue had gone around the back while everyone else headed to the front. The group had been small—Storm, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Cyclops and Jean—and covert. They'd barely gotten to the front gate when they were greeted by a flame throwing Pyro. Rather than sit and watch their teammates fight, Kitty and Rogue continued on into the building, phasing through the perimeter fence and the wall using Kitty's power.

Once they'd made it into the actual building—it was really just a big warehouse, it seemed—Rogue and Kitty had agreed to split up.

"You handle Gambit?" Kitty asked, raising her eyebrows.

"I'll manage. You get Tin Man?"

Kitty stuck her tongue out.

"His _name _is _Piotr."_

Rogue giggled then. As dumb as it was, here in a military base in the odd hours of night, Kitty and she were acting like little girls.

"It's okay, Kitty. He _is _kinda dreamy," Rogue teased. It was common knowledge throughout the mansion and among the mutant circles that Kitty and Piotr had a romantic thing going on. The extent of this thing, no one knew exactly, but it was much debated. No one, though, was more uncomfortable about the budding attraction than Lance, Kitty's ex-boyfriend. However, due to the fact that Colossus could inflict serious punishment, Lance kept his mouth shut.

"Oh, but not nearly as dreamy as that _Cajun,_" Kitty said, putting extra emphasis on the last word. It had the desired effect of having Rogue blush a deep, deep crimson. Gambit and Rogue were as much a mystery item in the mutant circles as Piotr and Kitty. Not a few people on both sides wondered if Rogue had succumbed to a little Stockholm syndrome during Gambit's and her little vacation to New Orleans. It was also a little strange that both always chose to fight each other whenever the X-Men and Acolytes met.

But there were other important matters at hand…evil was possibly being committed. Kitty swallowed and pressed forcefully on. Rogue, for her part, still looked a bit dazed.

"Seriously, meet back here in, say, fifteen minutes?"

"Sounds good," Rogue said, snapping out of her trance and removing one of her gloves. "Hope Swamp Rat's been behaving himself recently. Last time I absorbed him it was like watching a porno."

"With you in it."

"Shut it, Kit. Fifteen minutes."

They split up then, and Kitty had to do no more than turn a corner to run headlong into Colossus. He didn't seem to really be doing anything, just standing sentry. It made sense; Gambit was better suited to this type of work. Kitty honestly hadn't expected to find her mark so soon, so she said the only thing that came to mind.

"Hi!"

The dark-haired young man turned around and upon seeing her, barely blushed before invoking his power. Kitty crouched low in a fighting stance as he charged her.

Ten minutes later, and she was still in that position. It was the definition of a stalemate. On the one hand, an invincible guy. On the other, an invincible girl for all intents and purposes. Kitty just hoped that she was distracting Colossus from whatever it was that he was supposed to be doing.

-------------------------------

In another corner of the building, huddled over a computer, Gambit furiously hacked the network database. Magneto had been very clear about the name of the file that he was after, but he didn't divulge exactly what the file was. While he was curious, Gambit kept his mouth shut and his eyes focused. He'd heard what could only be the X-Jet landing a few minutes ago, which could only mean…

"Hey, Rem," a sultry voice behind him said.

He didn't even bother turning around. He simply smirked and continued his computing.

"Past your bedtime, ain't it _chere_?" he asked conversationally.

"I blame you for that, _Gambit. _You weren't running around…doing whatever it is that you're doing…I'd be home in bed."

"In bed huh?" he asked, turning to face her, a wicked grin on his face. "Well, Remy's sorry. But you don't have to chase us, you know."

"But you're so obviously up to no good," Rogue said, approaching him cautiously.

"You wouldn't have me any other way," he said, facing her totally now, the computer forgotten. Rogue thought about glancing at the unoccupied monitor in an effort to see what exactly it was that Gambit had been doing. He wouldn't let her, though. Gambit towered above her, staring down at her smugly, his red and black eyes glowing ominously.

"You have a lovely ass," Rogue breathed, her lips curling into a grin. "Shame I'm gonna have to kick it."

"Hope you end up absorbing me again, _ma cherie_," Remy whispered. "Remy wonders why you always be the one to fight him, but maybe it be 'cause of the, heh, view?"

"That must be it."

Now they were circling each other. Their reverie was briefly interrupted by an enormous engulfing flame that suddenly appeared outside the tinted window of the base.

"Your colleague?" Rogue asked, arching an eyebrow.

"John's a character," Gambit said carefully, continuing to circle Rogue. He saw her ungloved hand and made a mental note of it. On any other occasion, he'd gladly risk a coma to touch her, but tonight he had to leave on his own two feet, with Magneto's file.

"Speaking of characters," Rogue said, her emerald gaze locked on his red and black one, "where's Colossus?"

"Remy imagines that _chaton's _found 'im by now. Even let you in on a little secret," Gambit said, wagging his eyebrows. "Tin Man be sweet on your roommate."

Rogue rolled her eyes.

"Big fucking secret, Swamptard. Everyone knows that. It's as obvious as saying that—"

"You fancy Remy?'

"—I hate your guts."

"Liar."

He struck, his bo staff extended in an instant. He hadn't struck her hard, just a small knock behind her knees to bring her to the ground. Rogue gasped as the air rushed out of her lungs and she landed on the floor in an embarrassed heap.

Gambit risked retaliation by crouching on his knees and entangling his gloved fingers in Rogue's snowy white bangs. It'd been a few years since they'd first met—the infamous charged card debacle that she'd never fully forgiven him for—and she still made him go weak in the knees. As much as he'd have liked to get down there with her, he had to find Colossus and bail.

"_Chere, _you be _tres belle, _but Remy's afraid he's gonna have to leave you here." He stood up and then, almost as an afterthought, looked down at her again.

"And by the way, maybe work on the hand-to-hand combat a little more. Our meetings won't be much fun if Remy keeps dropping you so fast."

Rogue snarled at him and used her leg to sweep him to the ground, catching him at the knees the way he'd knocked her down. Ignoring his struggles to get up, Rogue straddled him and threw her weight into it, so she effectively pinned him to the ground. While he bucked underneath her, she hovered her lily white bare hand above his head.

"You were saying, Rem?" she murmured sweetly.

------------------------------------

This was getting ridiculous. She had no way of actually taking him down, and he was, for all his strength, simply batting at air. They were both of a reasonably mature age; they could settle this like adults.

"Piotr!" Kitty said emphatically, using his real name to get his attention. It did. Colossus looked up from where he'd be pumping his fist through her, and stared into her eyes. It was almost comical. With his powers up, Piotr towered to almost seven feet, far above Kitty's petite build. Yet here he was, immediately obedient to her.

"Da, Katya?" he responded quietly.

"It's pretty, um, obvious that neither of us is going to take down the other," Kitty said quietly, keeping her phasing powers up in case he decided to deck her.

"What gave you that idea?' Colossus said wryly, showing a little dry humor.

"Well, I've been standing here for a few minutes while you've been, well, punching through me. I'm not big enough to take you down, and you can't hit me while my phasing powers are up. So, we're at a standoff."

He looked confused by her long speech. His English was still a little shaky, but he understood the gist of what she was saying.

"Da, Katya, I understand. I do not want to hurt you, but if we do not retrieve Magneto's file, we will be punished."

Kitty's eyes clouded and she almost felt sorry for him. She knew that he was only working for Magneto because of his family; Piotr was being blackmailed. She nodded and bit her lip, while Piotr went back to his usual form, only flesh but still muscular and imposing.

"That's better, da?" he said, smiling slightly. Kitty giggled and she stopped when she realized how ridiculous it must have looked to him.

"Much. I was supposed to meet Rogue," she said, glancing at her watch, "about five minutes ago. Any idea where she'd be?"

"She'd have found Gambit by now."

Kitty nodded.

"Probably, they always end up on top of one another during these missions."

"I believe, Katya, that Gambit is, well…infatuated…with Rogue," Piotr said, stepping a little closer to Kitty.

The girl snorted.

"Obviously. I've never seen a guy so eager to be made comatose."

"She is very pretty," Piotr admitted, and then amended that when Kitty looked up at him sharply. "But I prefer your frame."

Satisfied, Kitty looped her arm through Piotr's and the two began to walk through the warehouse, trying to find their comrades.

"You know, Piotr, the professor offered a place at the mansion for you guys. You don't _have _to work for Magneto," she said softly, peering around in search of her friend.

"Da, I know. But…and I know Remy feels the same way…I don't want to leave and have Magneto hurt you…or Rogue…out of vengeance. It is easier if we bide our time and leave when we are able."

Kitty nodded, satisfied.

"I understand, but, whenever you're ready, I hope you join us."

Before Piotr could respond, a terrific banging noise came from a corner of the warehouse, followed by a bellowing yell.

"_Swamp rat!_"

----------------------------

Gambit had rolled before Rogue could drain him and had pinned her beneath him. Her eyes had flashed in that way they did when she was terrifically angry and her pale face had flushed. Rogue's fingers dug into his forearms in an effort to get him off of her, and the way she was squirming beneath him was intensely arousing. He didn't known whether to pound her or do her.

_What'd you do if she were a guy? _Gambit's inner voice asked. That did it.

"Ow!" Rogue yelped as he slammed her down onto the floor and pressed himself against her. She didn't want him to know that she was secretly a little turned on by this (did that make her perverted?), so she was making a big show of getting him off of her.

Her head trapped against the cold concrete floor and Gambit straddling her torso, Rogue had no choice but to stare into his eyes as he bent over her.

"Rogue," he groaned, using her name for once, "be glad I can't touch you." And first person, too.

"Why?" she hissed. "You'd rape me, is that it?"

He chuckled and nuzzled her neck, just a hint of contact. She whimpered softly and ever so slightly arched into him. _Weak, _she told herself bitterly. _Just weak._

"You can't rape the willin' _chere,_" he said. She was glad his face was buried in her neck so he couldn't see the red stain her face.

"Rogue, wha…_whoa!" _

Gambit looked up and Rogue tilted her head back to see Kitty and Piotr standing over them. Clearing his throat, Remy grudgingly got off of Rogue and let her sit up. While she went to speak to her roommate, he went back to the computer.

"So, uh, were we interrupting anything?" Kitty asked, crossing her arms and putting on a smug expression.

"Oh, not much, just getting ready to kick some white trash ass!" Rogue said, shouting the last part over her shoulder at Remy.

"You loved it, _chere,_" Remy said, inserting a blank disc into the computer's drive. In a few seconds he'd transferred the data and burned a copy of the file. Slipping it into his trench coat pocket, he turned to face the other three mutants.

"Petey, I see you been keepin' _chaton _busy," he said, punching Piotr in the shoulder good-naturedly. "Hope you used protection, got no idea where the _fille_'s been." This time it was Kitty who blushed at having her virtue brought into question. Piotr said nothing but shot his friend a dirty look. Rogue piped up then.

"So what's on the disc, Rem?" Rogue asked. Remy winced, hoping he'd hidden the article well enough. He knew he had to answer her or they'd be back to square one.

"Mags sent us here to pick up a very specific file. All we know is the name o' the file, we got no clue what's on it," Remy said.

"No clue?" Kitty asked. "Why don't you just, I dunno, _look at it?"_

"Katya, we try to remain, what is the word…ignorant of Magneto's business as much as possible," Piotr explained. "We don't want to know what he does all the time, because if we did, we couldn't live with ourselves."

"Makes sense," Rogue said, still casting Remy a wary glance.

"Uh, _mes amis_?" Remy said. "This be quite, well, touching and all, but John and the X-Men _are _still outside. Mebbe we oughta, you know, go out and give 'em a hand?"

Rogue had completely forgotten about her other teammates. "Uh…that sounds like a good idea," she mumbled. She looked at Kitty and could see that her friend, too, had forgotten about the conflict outside.

"Silly X-_filles,_" Remy said good-naturedly. "It's the accents, _homme_," he said, glancing at Piotr. "They can't resist us."

"Da, tell yourself that, comrade," Piotr said with a very deliberate wink at Kitty. The girl giggled but stopped when Gambit eyed her, looking hurt.

"Can't even make a joke," he groused.

Rogue glared at him. He sent her back a smoldering gaze that said she could bring it whenever she wanted.

"Be glad we're letting you leave here on your own two feet, Cajun," she growled.

"Rogue, Remy's pretty sure that _he _was on top o' _you _just a few moments ago. You had every chance to put those gorgeous hands on him, and you couldn't. You didn't do anyone any favors," Remy said.

Rogue looked ready to lay into him when Remy gallantly took her arm and motioned for Kitty and Piotr to follow him out of the warehouse.

"_Chaton, _your powers, please?" Remy asked softly. Kitty took hold of all three of the others and phased them through the wall of the building. It was still dark outside, but it was evident that dawn wasn't far off.

Kitty and Rogue were about to turn the corner of the building to find the X-Men when Remy pulled both of them back by their forearms, pressing them up against the wall.

"Swamp rat, what're you doing?" Rogue asked. Even Piotr looked confused and wondered if he should free the girls from Remy.

"Shh!" Remy said sternly, holding his finger to his lips. "Something ain't right."

"What do you mean?" Kitty asked, her voice sounding slightly frightened.

"Listen."

They listened. Nothing.

"We supposed to hear anything, Swamp Rat?" Rogue asked.

"Oh, not really. Just the sound of a feral, a weather witch, a teleporter, a telekinetic and an optic blaster fighting it out with a pyromaniac."

"Oh," Rogue said dumbly. When he worded it like that, it seemed that they _should _be hearing more than they were.

"We need to see what happened," Kitty said. Remy nodded, and the four mutants gingerly turned the corner. There, in front of the building, lay Ororo, Logan, Jean, Scott, Kurt and John. It was impossible to tell if they were alive or dead.

"_Merde,_" Remy breathed. "All right, Remy's gonna count to three, and—"

Before he could finished, a white light engulfed the four mutants, and they knew no more.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the reviews, they're greatly appreciated. A note on continuity...I know that when Gambit kidnapped Rogue in the series, Apocalypse had offed Magneto and the Acolytes had disbanded, so this is slightly AU in that respect (i.e. the kidnapping took place but Magneto and the Acolytes are still together). Again, I own nothing.

Daylight.

That was the first thought that crept into Logan's mind as he came to, his head feeling like he'd drank a gallon of Jack Daniels.

It shouldn't have been daylight yet.

He sat up, feeling dazed but not sore. As he peered around him, he noticed that everyone else was still unconscious. Ororo was a few feet away from him, and Scott and Jean lay sprawled on the dirt right outside the front gate of the building. Kurt was behind him, and John was, strangely enough, lying facedown on a patch of grass. Logan had automatically assumed that Magneto was behind the attack, but seeing an Acolyte knocked out made him change his mind.

"_Scheisse,_" he heard behind him. Logan sat up and turned around to see Kurt propped up on his elbows, rubbing his hand across his face. "I swear I didn't drink the punch."

Logan stood up and went to hover over Kurt.

"You okay kid?" he asked gruffly, offering the young man his hand. Kurt accepted it sheepishly and stood up.

"_Ja, _I think so. What happened?"

"Beats me. But we've been out for at least a few hours; the sun's out."

At that moment, the other mutants came to, all of them groaning and rubbing their sensitive heads.

"It's like the mother of all hangovers," John moaned, rolling over and standing up. "And—what the hell are you still doing here?"

"Us?" Scott demanded, swaying slightly as Jean helped him find his balance. Even behind his ruby quartz visor, he seemed to be glaring at Pyro. "Last thing I remember is fighting you, then nothing."

"Sure your boss had nothing to do with this?" Logan demanded, growling, as he extended his claws.

John scoffed.

"If it'd've been him, he wouldn't have left _me _here with you, would he?"

"Maybe. Maybe not," Jean said quietly, her arm looped around Scott's waist. She closed her eyes briefly, scanning the area. "I can't find Rogue or Kitty," she confirmed.

"Maybe they've left?" Ororo wondered. She glanced back to the clearing, to see the Blackbird sitting where she'd landed it. If Rogue and Kitty had left, they'd have had to have gone on foot.

"Or maybe," Kurt said angrily, eyeing John, "just maybe, they were kidnapped. Maybe you were a diversion."

"Please, Fuzzy. You think your sister and that sweet kitty cat would have to be _kidnapped _by Piotr and Remy? Hell, wouldn't surprise me if they all ran off together."

"I'm not appreciating your attitude," Logan said, low in his throat. John swallowed visibly, and turned to Jean.

"You, Red. Read my thoughts if you don't believe me. See that I'm not lying."

Jean seemed to consider it, and with a nod from Ororo, shrugged.

"Couldn't hurt."

The young telepath went to stand in front of John. Ignoring his wagging eyebrows and smug grin that he aimed at Scott, she gently placed her hands on his forehead and began to read him.

After a few seconds, she pulled away and turned to Scott and Logan.

"He's telling the truth. He was supposed to stay out here as a distraction while Gambit and Colossus went in to steal something…a computer file? He's as clueless as we are as to what just happened."

Logan shrugged, still suspicious but trusting in Jean's abilities.

"If Red says it, I believe it," he said, turning to John, who sighed in relief.

"But we still don't know who did this to us, or what happened to the others," Kurt pointed out.

Logan caught a breeze in his nostrils and sniffed. He followed the scent to around the corner of the building, where he stopped.

"They were here, all of 'em," he announced, looking back at the others. "But the scent stops here. It's not like they left, more like they were, I dunno, carried off."

"Abducted?' Scott asked skeptically.

"Shit, not by aliens or anything. But possibly someone with an aircraft," Logan said.

"Bastards get all the fun," John groused. He was leaning up against the wall, absent-mindedly fooling around with his lighter.

"What should we do now?" Kurt asked, sounding nervous at the prospect of a cold trail. If Logan couldn't detect them, it must be pretty bad.

Logan looked at Ororo, who shrugged helplessly. The situation seemed pretty dire, considering they couldn't exactly blame the whole thing on Magneto.

"We should probably all head back to the mansion, get some sleep and take some time to recover from whatever it was that happened to us," Logan said.

"Sleep?" Scott asked, balking.

"Sleep, Scooter. We dunno what hit us and I'm not taking any chances. We _all _go back to the mansion and see what Xavier has to say about all of this," Logan said, looking at John as he emphasized the word _all._

"Wot, you're bringing me back?" John asked. "I told you before, I had nothing to do with any of it!"

"We know, Firefly. But you wanna see Gambit and Colossus alive again, right?" Logan pressed.

John shrugged. "Can't say I wouldn't miss 'em."

"Then come with us. Somehow I doubt Magneto is that emotionally invested."

"Logan, are you serious?" Scott asked, bucking Logan's authority. "We're still not sure what happened and you wanna invite an Acolyte into the mansion?"

"Relax, Scott," Jean said, putting her hand on her boyfriend's shoulder. "I saw his mind, remember? He wants to help." Turning to face Pyro, she asked, "So, will you help?"

John shrugged in the affirmative and followed the X-Men onto the Blackbird. As he buckled in next to Kurt, he turned to speak to the fuzzy blue teleporter.

"So, since I'm kind of in the club now, do I get a free t-shirt?"

Kurt made a face.

"_Nein, _first you gotta learn the secret handshake."

"Typical," John muttered.

-------------------------------------

Charles Xavier sat passively behind his desk as Logan explained the situation to him. The X-Men had returned shortly before, and everyone except Logan had been ordered to sleep to stave off side effects of whatever it was that had hit them. John was bunked up with Kurt since Sam was in Kentucky visiting his parents.

"Strangest thing I've ever seen, Charles. Well…smelled. No other discernible scent, no trail. Even Jean couldn't find anything," Logan said, his claws extending and retracting in a show of frustration.

Xavier nodded.

"And Mr. Allerdyce was knocked out as well?"

"Yep. Which is why we don't think it was Magneto. If Firefly was a plant, no one told him about it."

"As soon as I received your signal from the jet, I attempted to locate all four of them using Cerebro. As I suspected, I could not detect any of their power signatures. It doesn't necessarily mean that they're dead, only that they're not using their powers."

"Not using them as in, they're not in a position to need to use them? Or, they're being _prevented _from using them?" Logan asked.

"That appears to be the operative question," Xavier said. "I intend to keep scanning for their signatures at regular intervals. Honestly though, without a scent trail or a reading, there's not much we can do."

"So we're just supposed to sit here and do nothing while two of our people are MIA?"

Xavier shook his head.

"Take Scott, Jean and Kurt and have them run drills with some of the more advanced younger students. At the first sign of a reading from any of the four, take the younger students with you. It will give you something to do in the interim, and it will be good for the students to go on an actual mission."

Logan nodded.

"I suppose that'll work. Call me if and when anything turns up." With that, he made his way out of Xavier's office.

As he turned the corner in the hallway, he heard Xavier's voice in his head.

_And while you're at it, Logan, please do try and get some rest._

--------------------------------

He considered it a miracle that he hadn't woken up with a headache. Given that he'd basically been knocked out and hauled off, it seemed ridiculous that he woke up as if from a night's sleep.

Except for the collar.

Remy felt something heavy and metal around his neck and ran his fingers over it. He couldn't actually see it but it was most definitely locked. The room he was in was bare and windowless, making it impossible to tell whether he was above or below ground. A single fluorescent light was above, blinking sporadically.

"Uhhh…" he heard behind him. He turned around and saw Kitty sit up, yawning. Piotr was next to her, still unconscious; Rogue was on her other side, looking ready to come awake. Kitty was wearing a collar like he was, and from this perspective, he could see a red light blinking on the front. Piotr and Rogue wore the same thing. He wasn't sure why, but the collars gave him a sick feeling of dread.

"You all right, _chaton_?" he asked Kitty.

"Well as can be expected, I guess. Any idea where we are?"

"None whatsoever. Remy woke up right before you did."

Rogue sat up then, rubbing her eyes. She looked wildly around the room in an attempt to get her bearings. Piotr sat up as well and Kitty spoke softly to him, too soft for Remy to hear.

"Sleep well, _chere_?" Remy asked Rogue, helping her stand up. Her legs were a little wobbly and she had to lean on Remy for support.

"Tired, pissed off and wanting to get outta here, but alive, I guess." She shrugged.

Kitty and Piotr stood up, the young man shaking his head as if to clear it.

"So, who wants to get us out of here?" Kitty asked.

"You better do it, Kit…I'm afraid if Tin Man plows through the wall or Swamp Rat blows a hole through it, someone's gonna come running," Rogue pointed out.

"Good point. Okay, everyone grab on."

Her three companions securely holding on to her, Kitty walked into the wall…but not through it.

"Ow!" she yelped as she smacked her forehead.

"What is wrong, Katya?" Piotr asked, alarmed.

"My power's not working!"

Remy reached into his coat and pulled out a card. Slipping it between his fingers, he concentrated on charging it. Nothing happened.

"All our powers are gone," Rogue said dazedly.

Remy leered at her.

"Betcha wish we weren't in this room for that, huh Rogue?" He cast a sidelong glance at Kitty and Piotr. "Or at the very least, ya wish we were alone."

"Eat me, Louisiana."

"Well technically Remy could…"

"Guys!" Kitty said. "This is all very frustrating, but we need to get out of here."

"Does anyone remember anything after we were…attacked?" Piotr asked. He was normally very calm and collected, but even he felt antsy about being trapped, especially given the fact that his powers should've enabled him to knock through the wall like it was paper.

"I don't remember a damn thing," Rogue drawled. "One moment, we saw everyone else knocked on the ground, then that strange light, and now this."

"Me neither," Kitty said. "But whoever did this had to have been able to take our us _and _the other X-Men, and they had to have known we were mutants."

"An anti-mutant group?" Remy asked, his brow furrowing.

Kitty shook her head.

"I don't think so…this is pretty advanced technology. The Danger Room is still at least a year away from having power negating capabilities. Professor Xavier tapped me to write code for it; it's pretty advanced."

"Remy wonders if the four of us were the target, or if they just grabbed whoever was convenient," Remy mused, leaning against the wall of the spartan cell. He began to absent-mindedly shuffling his cards, a sign that he was agitated.

"I think we _were _the intended target," Rogue said. "They could've grabbed any of the others while they were out, but they picked off us."

"I am wondering why," Piotr said.

_Because you're all very…interesting._

The voice, which sounded only in their heads, was low, thick and menacing. Rogue swore she felt a chill enter the room, and wrapped her arms around herself. Their kidnapper was obviously a telepath of some sort.

"Son of a bitch," Remy snarled. "It's a fuckin' head case."

_Such language, Mr. LeBeau. I suggest that you conduct yourself with a little more maturity, or I shall be forced to punish you._

Remy snorted in defiance, and then suddenly cried out in pain. His collar now glowed a deep scarlet, pulsing, and he doubled over in agony, clutching at his head. Rogue immediately knelt down and placed her hand on his back.

"Remy? Remy?!" she asked, shaking him lightly when he remained in his hunched position.

"I'm…I'm okay. Remy's fine," Remy muttered, standing up. He couldn't have been too fine, Rogue thought, because he made no attempt at all to make a suggestive comment towards her.

_That was just a taste of the pain that awaits you—all of you—in the event of your disobedience. Do not test my patience again. As you have been able to deduce, the collars you're wearing serve as both power suppression devices and…obedience enablers. _

"Who…who are you?" Kitty demanded cautiously. She braced herself for the same sort of violent, collar-based assault that had accosted Remy, but nothing happened.

_That, my dear, will be revealed in due time. For now, I'd like only to discuss with you why I brought you here. I'd like to enter into a partnership with you, of sorts._

"What kind of partnership?' Piotr asked suspiciously. "Why have you chosen the four of us?"

The tone of the voice shifted, almost to excitement, satisfaction and smugness.

_I have a great stake in the genetic future of mutantkind. I long for the day when _homo superiors _take their rightful place at the crossroads of history. However, unlike mutant supremacists that you're familiar with, like, say, Magneto and Mystique, I am fully capable of enabling such a future._

"And how do you propose to do that?" Rogue asked, her arm still wrapped around Remy, who was keeping his mouth shut.

_My field expertise is in genetics and splicing. Astonishing work, really. My ambition is to collect examples of the most powerful mutants in the world and not only work with them to develop their powers to their maximum potential—much of this potential is in the subconscious, unable to be tapped conventionally—and, eventually, to breed a race of supreme mutant leaders, to be ruled over by me, based on the genetic material of these mutants._

"Again, I ask," Rogue said. "Why us?"

_The four of you each bring a unique brand of mutant powers to the table. When I amplify and combine your gifts, you shall be unstoppable. You four shall be the first generation, my original masterpieces. _

"What if we don't want to be?" Piotr demanded, putting up a braver front than he actually felt.

_There is no room for dissent. Should you decline, I will have to kill you. I hope it doesn't come to that, though, because I chose the four of you for very specific reasons. I'm extremely excited to begin working with you._

"Why would we want to do this?" Kitty asked. "It sounds like, I dunno, like some science experience gone nuts. You also, you know, kind of kidnapped us, held us here against our will."

_The future I promise you is one where you will be feared and respected. You will no longer be Xavier's peacenik pacifist weaklings, taught to fear and hide who you are. Nor will you be lackeys for thugs like Magneto, doing violence with nothing to show for it. You will be the leaders, as will your children. I will teach you to use and harness your powers in ways that you never even imagined possible._

"Why should we believe you?' Remy questioned, now able to stand without Rogue's support.

_You will believe me because you have no choice. Some people are born great, and others have it thrust upon them. You, my children, will be the latter. I will drag you, kicking and screaming into the future, but in the end, you will thank me. When you can touch, destroy objects with your mind, turn into a ghost at will and become an unstoppable object of fury, you will thank me and see the wisdom in my actions._

Rogue shuddered as he described each of their possible power amplifications. He hadn't expressly said who would evolve into what, but when he spoke of touch, she knew he was referring to her. She could be like she was now…able to touch. Only this way, she'd be able to still use her powers. Damn this man, but he knew what it would take to get her to go along.

The voice continued.

_I apologize for my method of…extraction…but it was necessary in order to not leave any scent or psychic imprints that Wolverine or Jean Grey might stumble across. I assure you that none of the X-Men—or for that matter, John Allerdyce—were seriously hurt. However, they shouldn't give us any trouble._

The voice ended on a note of finality, signaling that he'd made his case. Everyone turned to Remy instinctively to see his reaction. Remy sighed.

"Let's say that, maybe, we might be interested in this offer, or at the very least, willing to hear you discuss it a little more, _oui_?"

_Yes?_

"We're going to need to actually see you, _mon ami,_" Remy continued. "We're not in the business of cutting deals with disembodied voices, no matter how compelling they may be."

"_Da, _we want to see you," Piotr confirmed. Kitty and Rogue both nodded, indicating that they felt the same way.

_Very well. _

From out of nowhere, a door suddenly opened in the wall of their cell. The four of them backed away from it, their eyes locked on the door. They could see light behind it, and a figure in the doorway, his features obscured in the shadows. The man—they could not see his face—spoke in the same silky voice he'd used in their minds.

"My name is Dr. Nathaniel Essex. Welcome to my laboratory."


	3. Chapter 3

Two years later (sooo sorry!) and I still don't own anything. Now, finally, on with the show.

----------

The first thing Kitty noticed was the color of his eyes. They were a bright, bloody red, and glowing. Unlike Remy's eyes, which were both red and black, Essex's scleras, pupils and irises were the same uniform shade of red.

His skin was deathly pale, as if he might be a vampire. When he gave them all a small smile, he revealed bright white, filed teeth. His dark hair was combed away from his head, revealing a widow's peak and a curious red diamond-shaped mark. He wore a simple black leather uniform with no recognizable insignia. Combined with his height — he was taller than Remy — he was an imposing figure. Piotr thought, as he looked at him, that this hardly resembled the frail researcher type he'd been expecting.

"Hello, children, hello," Essex said, turning his gaze to all four of them. "I trust the effects of the gas haven't adversely affected you? You're all lucid, yes? No headaches?"

"We're fine," Rogue said abruptly, her green eyes locked on the red diamond on Essex's forehead.

"I'm so happy to hear that. I can't wait to get started and time, of course, is of the essence," he said, his tone dropping slightly.

"What are you getting started with, exactly?" Remy asked cautiously, flinching as if he expected the collar to go off again.

"Working with you all, of course. The process may be painful, but such is the price of speed. It could take you each a lifetime, individually, to tap into the abilities that I will expose in only a few moments."

"What do you mean, tap into our abilities?" Kitty asked.

"You see, each mutant carries within them a trigger that can be armed to release their full capabilities. So few mutants ever reach their full potential; your Professor Xavier is one of the few who's come close.

"Normally, these abilities would lie dormant in your subconscious, perhaps for your entire life. With a little electric stimulation, however, I can awaken these latent abilities and give you unfettered access to what is rightfully yours — your gifts, in all their glory."

"Magneto tried to do this already," Rogue stated flatly. "It didn't work out so well."

"Ah, yes, his Cauldron," Essex replied, his voice snarling with sarcasm. "I believe you will find that in comparison to my facilities, what Magneto offered on Asteroid M was primitive at best."

"And we do not have a choice, _da?_" Piotr asked quietly. He stood toward the back of their cell by himself, contemplating. It was Rogue, Kitty and Remy who stood in the front, closer to Essex.

"You do not have a choice if you expect to live," Essex replied silkily. "Frankly, I cannot imagine any of you saying no."

He turned to Rogue.

"To be able to call up stolen powers at will? To be able to _touch?_"

To Remy.

"I know the terror your uncontrollable powers gave you as a child. I can give you discipline over them as a man."

To Kitty.

"To have _nothing _harm if you won't allow it, to be truly of the shadows."

To Piotr.

"You fear Magneto's inherent control over you. What if you could be invincible, metallic without being vulnerable?"

To all of them.

"Are you all so blinded by devotion to Xavier and Magneto that you can't see the wealth and potential of what I'm offering? The stronger we are, the stronger you are, the stronger all of our futures will be. It must start with you."

"Remy wouldn't say we're _devoted_ to Magneto," Remy muttered under his breath.

"When this is over, will you let us go?" Kitty asked. She remembered his earlier speech where he insinuated that he'd have power over them.

"I give you my word. I don't need to keep the four of you captive forever to achieve my objective."

The four young mutants looked at each other questioningly. It was obviously too good to be true, but what other choice was there? Rogue nodded slightly to Kitty and Remy, who glance at Piotr.

"All right, _mon ami. _We're not in any position to negotiate."

"No, you most certainly are not. Nonetheless, I'm extremely delighted that you've all be rational about this," Essex said.

"How rational can we be under duress?" Rogue asked, glaring at him.

"Exactly. Now, Mr. LeBeau, if you'd be so kind as to follow me. You're going first."

Essex turned around as if that was the end of the discussion. Remy glanced at his companions and took a deep breath.

"Remy will see you all soon, he hopes."

Rogue came up to him and stood on her toes, kissing him gently on the forehead.

"Be careful," she said simply. He gave her a winsome grin and a wink, and followed Essex's retreating form. The door shut behind them.

"What do we do now?" Kitty asked nervously.

"We wait." Piotr said, his eyes still on the door.

------------

The first thing John smelled upon awaking was sulfur. Like brimstone. Like…

"_Guten morgen!" _Kurt said. He'd teleported to the side of John's bed — Sam's bed, really — to see if the Acolyte was still asleep. He'd been given the unofficial job of keeping an eye on John while he was in residence.

"Oi, mate, I suggest you back off," John muttered grumpily.

"All right then," Kurt said. "But we're doing Danger Room drills today, and if you're not there, Wolverine will be up to get you. He won't be as congenial as I."

John sat up sharply and yawned.

"Point taken. There a place for me to get cleaned up?"

"_Ja. _You can shower in Sam's and my bathroom. Your uniform is hanging on the door, and Storm brought you a toothbrush, toothpaste and other things. Let me know if you need anything else," Kurt said.

"Thanks, mate. Not a bad deal around here, gotta admit."

John stood up, clad in his boxers, and ran a hand through his reddish hair.

"Lemme clean up a bit and then I'll be down. Fair enough?"

"I will tell the others," Kurt said, before vanishing in a cloud of smoke.

The hot shower felt amazing on John's taxed muscles, which were sore from not only fighting the X-Men, but from laying unconscious in such an awkward position for so long. Checking the clock, he saw that he had slept through both the day and night, and that it was the day after he'd woken up with the X-Men, confused and not a little scared.

He put his uniform back on, checking to make sure his flamers were properly connected. Once out in the hall, he realized that he wasn't quite sure where he was going. Glancing around, he completely missed the younger teenage boy coming up the hallway and smacked into him headlong.

John's eyes widened as the kid fell backwards, landing ass-first on the carpeted hallway floor. Except now, there were three of him.

"Watch where you're going!" the three kids groused, glaring up at John.

"Uh, sorry, little man. Er, men. Maybe you can help me, I'm looking for the Danger Room?"

The kid in the middle, the original, nodded to the end of the hall.

"It's at basement level, you can take the elevator."

"Thanks."

A door opened and two other kids came out. One, a thin boy with short hair and violently orange bangs, pointed to the sprawled boys on the floor and laughed. The other, a petite girl with cute red hair, smacked her companion on the shoulder and called out to the boys on the floor.

"Ray, stop it! Jamie, are you all right?"

The original stood up and nodded. John watched, fascinated, as he pulled the two clones to himself, combining back into just the one boy.

"Yeah, I'm fine. New guy plowed into me looking for the Danger Room."

The girl looked to John then and blushed.

"Did he tell you where it was? In the basement."

"Yeah, he did, thanks."

"Rahne, come on! The bus leaves in like twenty minutes!" Ray called out. "I'm afraid if we don't get on it now, the professor will change his mind and we'll be stuck here doing drills with the rest of them."

"Aye, you're right," the girl said. "Come on Jamie, we need to get our bags and get out front. Roberto and Tabitha are waiting on us."

"Right, I'm coming," Jamie said. He looked at John.

"Are you fine on your own? We're going on a school trip for the weekend and we need to head out."

"I'm fine, you kids run along," John said.

The three young mutants nodded at him and disappeared into the room where Ray and Rahne had emerged. John headed down the hall until he reached the elevator. He was surprised when it opened to reveal Xavier, with Storm at his side.

"Ah, Mr. Allerdyce. I trust you've found your accommodations to be satisfactory?"

"Er, yeah. I was just on my way down to the Danger Room. Nightcrawler told me I oughta get down there."

Xavier smiled.

"Ah yes. We'd like to include you in our training regimen. If you'd be so kind as to come with us."

John stepped into the elevator, nodding his head at Storm who returned the gesture but otherwise remained silent.

"Did Jamie, Rahne and Ray ever make it to their bus?" Xavier asked.

"I think so. When I ran into Jamie in the hall, they were getting ready to leave."

"Excellent. They lobbied hard to be able to go on the trip, what with all the excitement. Frankly they're all still too young to be ready to go out into the field; better for them to be out having a good time."

"Do you know anything new?" John asked, eager to cut through the pleasantries and get to business. Who knows what could have happened in the time that he was asleep.

"Unfortunately, no. Cerebro is set to let me know if any of the four of them use their powers. Until then, it's quite impossible to know where they are."

"They're not dead though, right?"

Xavier's lips tightened into a straight line.

"We have no reason to believe they're dead, no."

The elevator door opened to reveal the basement level. Xavier and Storm headed in the direction of the Danger Room control center.

"Mr. Allerdyce, if you'd go over and join your companions. I will be in the control center with Storm and Beast."

John nodded and looked over to where the young X-Men were assembled in uniform. Wolverine stood apart from them, his arms crossed and his face set in a scowl. He also immediately recognized Cyclops, Jean Grey and Nightcrawler. Three other students, slightly younger than their counterparts, stood together.

John walked over to where the younger students stood, a boy and two girls.

"I'm John, pleased to meet you."

The boy, sandy blond and all-American, extended his hand for John to shake.

"I'm Bobby. They call me Iceman."

One of the girls, cute, short and Chinese, shook John's hand next.

"Jubilee."

The third girl, darker-skinned and with lovely dark hair, didn't offer John her hand, but introduced herself.

"I'm Amara, code name Magma."

"Magma, eh? Sound like you operate in my neck of the woods, sheila," John said, smiling.

She wrinkled her nose at him.

"I highly doubt that, _Pyro._"

Before John could make a comeback, Wolverine's voice cut through the conversation.

"Before we get started, we have a guest today. Everyone meet John Allerdyce, also called Pyro. Now normally we'd be kicking Pyro's ass, but we find ourselves with a common goal. So, for the purpose of getting our people back, Pyro's gonna be helping us out."

Both Wolverine and Cyclops sent John a look that said they didn't trust him.

"Now we don't know where Rogue and Shadowcat are, but as soon as Cerebro tells us something, we're off. In the meantime, we're all working on Danger Room drills together. No complaining. No backing down. Lunch after."

With that, the doors to the Danger Room slid open and the seven young mutants cautiously stepped in. Wolverine left them to join the teachers.

In the large, dark space, John felt a growing sense of dread and discomfort. Looking around him, he noticed that even the most experienced X-Men were tense and on guard.

_How bad could it possibly be? _

Then the lasers came out.

----------

Remy wasn't sure what he'd been expecting when he'd followed Essex, but this wasn't it. He wouldn't have been surprised to emerge into some huge cavern filled with bizarre contraptions. This room, though, looked more like an operating room. It was bright, cool and sterile. It had the usual medical equipment, such as a heart monitor, and some equipment Remy didn't immediately recognize. But the whole package was far less fancy than he'd anticipated.

"One doesn't need to boast, Mr. LeBeau," Essex said off-handedly. "Myself, I only have what is required. Anything else would be a waste."

Remy was startled. It was one of his less obvious talents that he was highly resistant to telepathy, and with his powers down, he'd forgotten how vulnerable he was.

"Oh yes, Mr. LeBeau," Essex said softly. "You'd do well to tread lightly around me while you are here."

"What do you want Remy to do?" Remy asked, his eyes locked on the surgery table.

"You may strip to your underwear and lie on the table, please. I will attach the electrical components to you. It may itch a bit."

Remy removed his clothing, laying it out on a chair next to the table. He sprawled out on the table, breathing as lightly as he dared. Despite a sense of dread running through him, he worked hard to clear his mind and not let on just how frightened he was.

He felt a slight prick on his arm, and looked down to see Essex pressing electrodes into him. Pushing down the overwhelming urge to scratch his arm, he continued taking deep breaths as Essex worked. Soon his entire body was covered with the electrodes and he felt like one, big allergic reaction, the itch was so pronounced. The electrodes all ran back to an unfamiliar machine through their wires.

"We are almost done," Essex said soothingly, picking up on Remy's discomfort.

"_Bon,_" Remy said quietly.

"This part, my young friend, I'm afraid will hurt," Essex said, and he flipped a switch on the machine.

Remy couldn't even divert energy to scream, it hurt so much. Every moment of pain in his life — and there'd been a few — compounded didn't compare to this.

Yet, at the same time, it wasn't pain for pain's sake. There was something happening, so deep within him that he was sure he felt it in his bones.

"Yes, work through it, Remy," Essex murmured, his eyes locked on some sort of screen on the machine that Remy couldn't see. "It's almost over. You're being very brave."

The sensation became extremely warm, almost as if he was being burned alive. Yet he didn't — couldn't — scream. His entire body felt wracked with spasms and intense stress, but all he could do was lie there and take Essex's word that it was almost over.

He felt an odd sensation in his head begin, like millions of tiny fingers probing there. It was like someone was looking for something, flipping through the pages of his mind until they found what they were looking for.

Then, as suddenly as the pain began, it stopped.

"You may relax now, the difficult part is over. Aren't you glad you were first? It's out of the way now!" Essex said brightly as he removed the electrodes from Remy's body.

As soon as he'd been freed of the last electrode, Remy sat up and immediately felt sick and disoriented.

"Your head may sting slightly; I've subjected it to intense stress as I discovered and stimulated your latent power centers. It will pass in time."

"Remy doesn't feel very different," Remy mumbled.

"Nor should you. Magneto's Cauldron deadened his subjects, made them unemotional and static. I'd never do any such thing. The real difference will come when we test your abilities and see exactly what all you possessed deep within you."

Remy pulled his clothing back on, lacing his boots. When he was dressed again, he turned back to Essex.

"Now what?"

"Before I take you back to your companions and bring the next one in — I'm thinking Rogue will go next — I want to see you demonstrate your abilities."

The idea of Rogue undergoing such agony made Remy feel violently ill for a split second, before Essex's voice brought him back to the present.

"Remy?"

"_Oui?_"

"Do you see the book on the counter over there?"

Remy looked across the room; sure enough, a thick medical dictionary sat on a supply cabinet countertop. He had a feeling he knew what was coming next.

"_Oui._"

"Destroy it."

Remy made to walk over to the book, but Essex's hand on his shoulder held him back.

"From here."

"Remy can't —"

"Oh yes you can. And from now on, you will refer to yourself as _I. _Take ownership of yourself, do not distance yourself from your actions. Say, 'I can destroy the book.'"

"I can destroy the book," Remy repeated, slightly dazed.

"Good. Now try."

Even as his common sense screamed at him that it was impossible, Remy felt that same tickle in his head, those same fingers rooting around.

He felt his eyes glowing, his hands warming up with kinetic energy. He bent his head down slightly and took a deep breath. Suddenly he jerked his head up, scarlet eyes locked on the book.

The thick tome glowed brightly for a second before exploding violently, sending bits of pages and binding flying outward.

"Excellent, Remy, very good. Now I will try something else," Essex said, his voice bright with happiness.

Remy felt the telltale sign of a telepath forcing his way into his mind. Subtly increasing his ever-present interference, Remy was shocked when he threw Essex out of his mind so violently that the other man was slightly thrown backward, shaking his head.

"Oh I've done wonders with you, Mr. LeBeau," Essex murmured. "Wonders indeed. We shall work more with you later, but now, I'd like you to open the door so we can retrieve Rogue."

Remy knew exactly what he meant when Essex asked him to open the door. He turned to face the room's exit, eyes still glowing dangerously.

"Stand back," he muttered. Essex backed up slightly, seemingly cautious about Remy's capabilities.

The force with which Remy blew the door off its hinges, sending it exploding out into the hallway and ending with it lodged halfway through the opposite hallway wall, sent tremors throughout the facility.

If Remy was shocked at his amplified skills, he refused to show it as he and Essex made their way back to the holding cell to retrieve Rogue.

----------

From his spot in the Danger Room control center, watching the X-Men students and Pyro run through the obstacle course, Xavier suddenly felt a power signature so great, the force of it could be felt without Cerebro's amplification.

Storm noticed Xavier buck slightly and his head bent down as if he was deep in thought.

"Charles?" she asked. Beast and Wolverine were both at the control panel, still observing the students.

"Charles, are you all right?" she asked again when he didn't answer her.

"Yes, Ororo. I must get to Cerebro immediately. I picked up on a power signature the likes of which I've rarely seen before."

"What do you mean?"

"The sheer force and development of it was remarkable. It normally takes decades for a mutant to harness his powers in that way, if he ever does."

Storm was still confused as to what Xavier had felt.

"I don't follow, Charles. Was it a new mutant?"

"No, it wasn't. It was Gambit."


	4. Chapter 4

I'm trying to update this as fast as I can since the wait between chapters last time was freakishly long. Just a few notes...First off, I tend not to go overboard with writing accents phonetically, because I often find it distracting (i.e. Rogue's 'I' will always be 'I' and not 'Ah'). Second, I'm not big on responding to individual reviews within stories because it annoys me when half of an updated chapter is nothing but review shout-outs. Nonetheless, I do read and appreciate each and every review, so please keep them coming. I still don't own anything.

----------

Remy briefly considered taking Essex out and blowing through the complex until he found his companions. Unfortunately, as soon as the thought entered his mind, he felt the collar around his neck, which Essex had apparently switched off while Remy was undergoing his change, begin to heat.

Looking up, he saw Essex with a small remote control in his hand.

"I take no chances, _Gambit,_" he said, waving the device. "I know you could destroy this building and everything in it, but I still have work to do."

Remy didn't answer, instead pressing his lips together in frustration. He felt like he was wasting his time simply following Essex back through the labyrinthine halls. So he decided to take on another approach: information gathering.

"I'm curious as to how you knew where to find us, _monsieur._"

"I knew where to find you because I was the one who sent you there."

"What?" Remy snapped, his eyes narrowing.

"Oh yes, Mr. LeBeau. Who do you think tipped Magneto off about a registered mutant inventory locked away in a computer file?"

Normally, Remy tried to stay above Magneto's agenda and simply do what he was told, collect his mercenary's fee and be done. Now, though, he wished he knew more about how his employer operated.

"You're all so predictable. Of course, only you among the Acolytes could hack the computer, and only Colossus could be a sufficient sentry. Equally as obvious, the X-Men would have tried to stop you, and only Shadowcat and Rogue could have succeeded against you."

"You played us," Remy said, a hint of awe showing in his voice. In all of this, they were just pawns.

"I did, yes. It was easy enough to disable the X-Men until I could safely squirrel you all away."

"You will keep your promise, yeah? You'll let us go when this is over?" Remy demanded, suddenly worried that Essex had played them in more ways than one.

"Yes, boy, yes. You see, I'm keeping a small amount of genetic material from each of you. That is what you're giving me, and I in return am amplifying your powers. You'll go out, gods among insects, and you will stand as examples of my success. Other mutants will flock to me, and the more material I collect, the stronger my army will be."

Remy let out a low whistle. The guy was obviously crazy. He was glad he'd been the one to go first; that way, if the man had been intending to kill them all along, he'd have killed Remy and not Rogue or Kitty.

"You know Xavier would never allow that."

Essex stopped suddenly and jerked his head around, his eyes glowing furiously.

"What Xavier _allows _will soon no longer be relevant. When I am done with the four of you, not even he will be able to stop me. Or you, for that matter. You and Colossus can stop being Magneto's delivery boys and start your own faction."

"Now that's tempting," Remy said, quirking his eyebrow.

Rogue had nearly fallen asleep in the cell when she was jerked awake by a rough tremor. It vibrated the floor beneath her.

She rose to her feet suddenly, listening for another sound.

"What the hell was that?" she demanded, turning around to where Kitty and Piotr sat in the corner. Kitty was leaning against Piotr, her eyes clouded and damp with tears. The young man had his arm draped over her.

"I do not know," Piotr said. "But I have a bad feeling about it."

"You don't think it could be the other X-Men?" Kitty asked. "Coming to save us? That was a pretty big explosion."

Rogue shrugged. Possible, she thought, but not probable.

The three mutants kept their eyes trained on the door, not knowing what to expect. In the end, it was nothing they shouldn't have been expecting. When it finally opened, Essex stepped in with Remy behind him.

"God, you're alive!" Rogue cried, running to Remy and throwing her arms around him. He returned her gesture, albeit warily.

"_Oui, _a little banged up though," he said, looking down at Rogue's worried face. That she was concerned for his safety, despite all he'd done to her — he'd nearly blown her up, for God's sake — touched him, and it made what was about to happen to her all the worse.

"_Chere, _you're next," he said dully, extracting himself from her grip and pointing her to where Essex stood framed in the door. He smiled coldly at her, gesturing with his arm that she should follow.

Rogue glared at Essex and then glanced back at Remy. He seemed tired, sad and spent, but not anything worse than that. She raised her eyebrows at him in an unspoken question.

"It'll hurt, _cherie, _no denyin' that. But the sooner you do it, the sooner it'll be over and the sooner we'll be out of here," Remy said. He looked past Rogue's shoulder to Kitty and Piotr, indicating that this advice was meant for them, too.

Rogue took a deep breath.

"All right. I'll be back."

Before she could fully reach the door, Remy grasped her arm and pulled her roughly up against him, before leaning down and kissing her fiercely. Rogue whimpered as their tongues met and his hands stroked her temples. When he finally pulled away, she wobbled a bit, not sure if her legs could support her.

"Be brave, Rogue," Kitty called out, trying to lift her friend's spirits.

Rogue nodded to her friends and finally followed Essex out the door to meet her fate.

----------

"Poor, poor Rogue," Essex simpered as he led her to the same room where he'd taken Remy. "Always cursed, always the victim. Aren't you tired of being the victim, Rogue?"

"Shut up and let's get this over with," Rogue snapped, instinctively wrapping her arms around herself.

"And so polite, too."

Rogue didn't speak again throughout the rest of the trip. Instead she spent her time observing her surroundings, an instinct she'd honed on Wolverine's advice. Always pay attention to your surroundings — are you above ground, is it metal, are there pipes? Such awareness could help you escape.

"You won't escape from here until I'm ready to free you, Rogue," Essex said in a bored tone. Rogue hissed, momentarily forgetting his telepathic ability.

They finally reached their destination, and Rogue's eyes went wide when she saw the door, or what was left of the door, lodged firmly in the opposite wall.

"What on earth…?" she asked.

"Your companion," Essex replied. "You must have felt the explosion, it was extremely powerful."

So that's what the tremor was, Rogue thought. She felt slightly sick when looking at the display. Was this what had driven Remy to the exhaustion he'd shown upon his return?

"No, my dear, rest assured, Gambit disposed of that pathetic door as easily as if he'd been flicking a light switch. The fatigue he displayed was, unfortunately, the product of what will be happening to you now."

It was then that Rogue saw the operating table and the machines. Every instinct inside her screamed that she should turn tail and run, but she knew he'd kill her if she did.

"Please strip down to your camisole and shorts and lie down on the table. Believe me, my dear, you want this part over with."

"This itches like crazy," Rogue muttered as he began hooking her up to the main machine next to the table.

"This is hardly the worst part, Rogue," Essex drawled. "I'm going to turn your collar off now; I suggest you behave."

He flipped a switch on the remote in his hand before slipping the device back into a pocket. Rogue gasped as she felt her powers kick in, but there was nothing she could do with them.

"Now, my dear Rogue, comes the nasty part," Essex said. "I'd brace myself."

He turned the machine on.

Rogue was immediately wracked with pain, to the point where she thought she might go out of her mind.

Then, blackness.

----------

"What happened?" Kitty demanded as soon as Essex left with Rogue.

"Fair warning, _chaton, _it ain't pleasant," Remy said weakly. He sat against one of the cell's walls, shuffling a deck of cards absent-mindedly.

"You don't look any different, comrade," Piotr said, examining Remy. "He was supposed to accelerate your powers, _da?_"

Remy pointed to the collar.

"_Mes amis, _if I didn't have this fucking collar on, I'd blow this entire building to kingdom come."

Kitty simply stared.

"So it was _you _that caused the tremor earlier?"

Remy blinked.

"Tremor? What trem — oh. I may have blown open a door."

"You _may _have _blown open _a door? We felt that, like, all the way in here! The room vibrated!" Kitty shrieked.

Remy shrugged and grinned at her, flashes of himself showing through.

"Guess I dunno my own strength then, _non?_"

"What is he doing to Rogue?" Kitty demanded.

Remy set his cards aside and looked up at her, his face, for once, deadly serious.

"He does…something…to our minds. It hurts like a motherfucker, but it's like something's going on in your bones, in your head. It can't last more than a few minutes, but the pain…"

"Go on, Remy," Piotr encouraged.

"When I came out of it, my powers had returned. He must have turned the collar off in the middle of the process."

"Couldn't have turned it off before, you'd have blown him through the wall," Kitty muttered, wrinkling her nose at him.

Remy winked at her.

"Good point. I felt a little sick, and my head hurt. He told me to blow up a book that was on a counter across the room.

"I started to go to it, but he told me no, I had to do it with my mind. And I…I did."

"Oh God," Kitty moaned.

"Then he told me to open the door so we could leave. I blew it backwards and it lodged itself in the wall."

"That was what we felt in here then," Piotr said.

Remy shrugged.

"Must have been. And now he's doing the same thing to Rogue."

Kitty looked confused.

"But Rogue, she can't…blow stuff up, can she?"

Remy shook his head.

"_Non, _because that's _my _power, only it was amplified. When he's done with her, he'll have amplified Rogue's powers."

"What would that look like?" Piotr asked.

"I dunno, and I'm not sure whether to be eager or terrified to find out," Remy muttered.

"Well, one good thing," Kitty said quietly, looking at the two young men.

"Yeah?"

"You used your powers, Remy! Cerebro should be able to track the signature, and the X-Men will be able to find us."

Kitty's mood lifted immediately, but her cellmates didn't share her enthusiasm.

"Suppose it'd be possible," Remy said, contemplating. "But I don't think this man would let me use my power if he thought the X-Men could track it. He's being too careful."

Kitty's face fell as her optimism was crushed. Then she snapped back up.

"How do you know how careful this guy is?" she demanded, her hands on her hips. Remy thought that, for being so tiny, she was extremely feisty.

"He told me a bit on the way back. Bastard turned my collar back on, o' course. But he's the one that tipped Magneto off about that file. It was all a way to trap us."

Kitty's blue eyes flashed.

"You can't be serious!"

"Wish I wasn't. He knew Mags would send Piotr and me, and he knew the X-Men would send you and Rogue in after us. He knows more about us than we know about ourselves."

"He will never let us go, will he?" Piotr asked quietly, more to himself than to the two of them.

Remy shrugged.

"I asked him that very question, and he said he would. All he wants from us is, er, genetic material. Whatever the hell that means."

Kitty scrunched her face up.

"Ew. He better keep his hands off my genetic material. That's just so gross."

"Katya, you are such a girl," Piotr observed with no guile whatsoever.

----------

Xavier raced into the Cerebro chamber, leaving Storm out in the hall and Hank and Logan monitoring the students, who were nearing the end of their obstacle course in the Danger Room.

He had to find the source of this power surge. Not only would it lead to the missing mutants, but it could give him a clue as to who was responsible for their kidnapping.

Unfortunately, when he reached out to locate the signature using Cerebro, it was like running headlong into a brick wall. Someone had thrown up a nearly impenetrable psychic shield around the signature, a warning for interlopers to stay away. Whomever they were dealing with, the person was an extremely powerful psychic.

Xavier sighed in defeat and exited the chamber, where Storm waited for him, her face lined with concern.

"Anything?" she asked.

"The signature is definitely there and it's definitely from Gambit," Xavier said as he steepled his fingers in thought. "However, someone or something is blocking Cerebro's ability to locate him."

"Another mutant?"

"Yes, an extremely capable telepath. I'm afraid it is nearly impossible to detect their location. Cerebro could attempt to break the shields, but the knowledge of someone attempting to negotiate the barriers will only cause the telepath to strengthen them."

"So what options do we have?" Storm asked.

"None at this time, unfortunately. We can only wait, see if Gambit uses his powers again, or if the others do. The ball is entirely in our rival telepath's court."

"Our poor girls," Storm said, thinking about Rogue and Kitty.

"If we are not given a way to locate them soon, Ororo, it could be poor everyone," Xavier said.

----------

Kurt was nearing exhaustion.

He had no idea how long they'd been in the Danger Room, battling laser drones, but he wasn't sure how long he could last. Of course, someone had to be last for the simulation to end, but he somehow didn't think Logan would appreciate it if he quit trying for that reason alone.

Of the seven mutants who'd first entered the simulation, three remained: Kurt, John and Amara.

Jubilee had been the first out, when she'd celebrated too long after blasting her first drone. A second had popped up behind her while she gloated, and she found herself expelled from the room, covered in yellow paint.

Scott, of all people, had been next. A new feature of the Danger Room involved holograms turning into various team members. Unfortunately, no one had told the students about it. A drone displaying a holographic image of Jean had blasted Scott.

"Let this be a lesson to all of you," Logan roared over the intercom as an irate Scott made his exit, "that _nothing is what it seems._"

The remaining five had lasted quite awhile until Jean was cornered and tagged by three roving drones and Bobby had drawn as much moisture from the air as he could, running out of ice.

It didn't help Bobby that Amara was in full magma form, literally melting any drones that came near her as John sent flames out to others. Kurt teleported in an effort to dodge the blasts, and attempted to teleport on top of some in order to disable them.

Finally, after teleporting at least six times in a span of only about thirty seconds, Kurt simply ran out of juice. He dropped limply to the floor and was immediately sprayed with ink pellets from the master drone, hovering above the room.

"Looks like it's you and me, sheila!" John yelled over the sound of firing and flames.

Even in her magma form, Amara gave off a haughty vibe.

"You'd do well not to take me down with you," she muttered as she melted down a motion sensor.

The other five students had all made their way up to the control room.

"Five bucks says Amara's the last man, er, woman, standing," Bobby said, his eyes locked on the scene below.

"Ten says John outlasts her," Kurt said.

"Deal!"

"I'll pretend I didn't hear any of you gambling," Hank said with a touch of humor in his voice.

For his part, John felt quite smug about the fact that he'd outlasted five of the six X-Men students, including the three most experienced. Now all he had to do was hang on for a couple of more minutes…

He felt, rather than heard, the ink pellet smack him in the chest, covering him in runny yellow paint.

"Son of a bitch!" he yelled.

"I won! I won!" Amara cried, returning to her normal shape. She didn't even deign to give John a glance as she ran out of the Danger Room to gloat to her teammates.

Hank, Logan and the five previously ousted students met Amara and John in the hall.

"Good work, kid," Logan said gruffly, not wanting to do too much to stoke Amara's ego any further.

"Thanks!" Amara said, beaming as she flipped her hair.

"Pay up, Kurt!" Bobby said, holding his hand out.

Kurt sighed and snarled a bit before teleporting away, then returning. He pressed a crisp ten-dollar bill into Bobby's hand.

"Pleasure doing business with you," Bobby said, laughing.

"I can't believe you bet against me, Kurt!" Amara cried.

"Can't blame him, can you love?" John asked. "I mean, I am an Acolyte."

She turned.

"Yes, and this X-girl just kicked your ass!"

"All right everyone, calm down. You all generally did well with the exercise, there's no need to get overly competitive. Remember who we're fighting, after all," Hank said, trying to make peace.

Scott furrowed his brow.

"Uh, who _are _we fighting?"

Silence.

"I, um, don't really know, but when we do, we'll be ready!" Hank said triumphantly.

Xavier wheeled up then with Storm at his side.

"Ah, I see you've completed the Danger Room exercise. Shall we all go eat, then?"

The eleven of them packed into the main elevator.

"Did you figure out where that signature came from, Charles?" Logan asked.

"What signature?" Jean asked.

"During your exercise I detected a strong power surge from Gambit. Unfortunately, Cerebro was unable to locate him or the others," Xavier answered. "We're dealing with a very talented psychic individual."

"A head case," Logan spat, nodding. "Makes sense."

"Yes, and until we feel a signature again —" Xavier cut off in mid-sentence, his head bowed and body trembling. Jean also began to shake, her emerging telepathy responding in a way that it hadn't while she'd been in the Danger Room.

"Professor!" Jubilee cried.

Storm and Bobby leaned down to look at him. Xavier shook his head slightly as if clearing it and raised his face up to look at his concerned pupils.

Logan and Scott, meanwhile, fussed over Jean to make sure she was all right.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," she said. She looked at Xavier.

"Professor, I felt it this time, too. It was…"

Xavier finished for her.

"…Rogue."


	5. Chapter 5

I don't own it, I'm just playing with it. Want more? Please review.

----------

"Rogue!"

She came awake suddenly. Sitting up, Rogue rubbed her forehead, wanting to get rid of the ache there.

"What happened to me?" she demanded, whirling around to face Essex, who stood next to the table.

"You passed out during the procedure, your body's way of defending itself against the electrical onslaught. Consider yourself lucky. Mr. LeBeau was conscious throughout the entire process," Essex said, his tongue flicking out. Rogue shuddered, repulsed.

"Is it over?" she asked. She hopped off the table and proceeded to pull her uniform back on.

"This part is, yes. But before we return to retrieve Mr. Rasputin, I'd like you to demonstrate your powers for me."

Rogue leveled a look of disbelief at him.

"Demonstrate how? What's there to demonstrate? You want me to zap you?"

Essex rolled his eyes…she wasn't sure how she knew that he did, because of their uniformly red hue, but he did.

"I want you to take a deep breath and find potential within yourself. The procedure should have stimulated latent energies within you. Find them!"

_He's out of his goddamn mind! _Rogue thought, but nonetheless she did what she was told.

Nothing.

"What am I supposed to be feeling?" she asked.

"Think of a power that you've stolen from a fellow mutant. Any power will do."

Rogue thought of Kurt's teleportation. The distinct sound, the smoke, the scent of brimstone…

_**Bamf!**_

"Aaah!" Rogue yelped, finding herself transported a few feet across the room. Essex, however, looked unsurprised.

"As I'd expected. All you need do is merely _think _of another mutant's power that you've obtained, no matter how long ago, and you can summon it to the forefront of your mind and use it."

"Oh my God," Rogue breathed when she realized what that meant.

"Yes…you could potentially now be the strongest mutant on the planet, because you could be _every _mutant on the planet!"

"And…the other?" Rogue demanded. She couldn't bring herself to say the word, because if she did, the power might vanish.

"You mean the power of _touch_?" Essex leered.

"Yes."

"Your collar remains off. Try to touch me."

Rogue swallowed hard and stepped forward. Surely he wouldn't let her touch him if he thought she'd absorb him involuntarily, right?

She laid a pale, delicate finger on the hand Essex proffered. Nothing. No pull, no rush of powers or memories. Just her skin against his.

"Now, consciously try to drain me," Essex murmured, his eyes locked on their connected flesh.

As soon as she thought of it, the pull started and Rogue yanked her hand away as if she'd put it to a hot stove. She'd only gotten a flash of his thoughts, but it was enough to terrify her.

His eyes glowed, as if he knew what she'd gotten out of the experiment.

"Well done, Rogue. You must now consciously use your powers. No longer will they keep you from human contact. Are you not pleased?"

It was a loaded question. On the one hand, he'd given her a previously unreachable level of control of her powers, as well as the awesome ability to access a veritable filing cabinet of various mutations. On the other hand, she recalled the flashes of his intentions that she gleaned, and felt nothing but dread.

"I'm pleased," she said finally, knowing her pause had tipped Essex off that she was uneasy.

"Good. Now lead us out to the hallway."

She nodded and walked in front of him toward the blown-open doorway. He grasped her shoulder and stopped her.

"Another way."

Realizing that he wanted her to demonstrate her ability to access others' powers, she grasped his arm firmly and concentrated.

_**Bamf!**_

"Aaah!" Kitty shrieked as Rogue and Essex teleported practically on top of her in the holding cell.

"Sorry Kit, didn't really see where I was going," Rogue mumbled, releasing Essex's arm. For his part, he looked delighted.

"Rogue, my dear, you have been delightful, absolutely delightful. I certainly hope that Mr. Rasputin is as well-behaved," Essex said. "Before we depart, however…"

Rogue gasped as her inhibitor collar buzzed back to life.

"…Excellent. Now, my titan, if you would follow me."

Essex left the cell. Piotr sent Kitty a sympathetic glance, which she returned. She quickly ran up to him and stood on her toes to peck him on the cheek.

"Be careful," she whispered to him.

"I shall try, Katya," he said before he disappeared into the hallway. The door shut behind him, locking Rogue, Kitty and Remy in the cell.

The scent of brimstone still hung in the air, and the mood was tense as the three young mutants glanced at each other in an unspoken dare to break the silence. Remy broke first.

"Are you all right, _cherie_?" he asked Rogue. She, like him, looked slightly ill, pale (paler than usual, anyway) and weary.

"I'm fine. Just…I saw his thoughts," she muttered, rubbing her temples as if trying to purge Essex from her mind.

"Was it bad?" Kitty asked gently, trying to elicit more information from her friend.

"You could say that. The guy's a complete nut," Rogue said.

Remy snorted.

"Well obviously. Anything else?"

"He _is _going to let us go, but it's not as simple as that," Rogue said, trying to put into words the broken images and ideas she'd gotten from Essex. "He doesn't really want _us, _he wants our abilities and potential. He's keeping genetic material from each of us to use later on, on other mutants and…himself."

"_Himself_?" Kitty asked, incredulous.

Rogue nodded.

"He thinks that if he combines our material and does that procedure on himself, he'll be even more powerful. The only reason he's doing this to us at all is to amplify and advance our abilities so our material will be stronger. He's not in it to help us."

"I'm _shocked_," Remy said, eyes blazing. "I knew that guy was out of his mind."

"I can't believe we let him do this to us!" Kitty cried, on the verge of tears.

Remy rounded on her.

"Hey now! I dunno about you, _chaton, _but I remember him saying that if we didn't cooperate, he'd kill us. Four of us, with no powers? We're all reasonably well trained, but against a fully powered telepath? No chance!"

"Some things _are _worth dying for," Rogue said quietly, putting an arm around Kitty's shaking shoulders.

"Not this, Rogue, and you know it. Besides, he has no guarantee of success. Who's to say that he doesn't turn that thing on himself and it backfires?" Remy reasoned.

"Well…with our powers developed, we'd stand a better chance against him," Kitty said, tears drying on her face.

"We'll figure something out. He can't control us forever," Remy said, looking at the door as if he expected an army to burst through it.

"Wait, Rogue. How'd you see his thoughts?" Kitty asked.

Rogue sighed. In the confusion, she hadn't gotten the chance to explain what had happened.

"He made me touch him," she mumbled.

"_He what?!"_ Remy roared, lunging forward.

"I didn't want to!" Rogue cried. "He had me touch him at first to prove that I could without draining him. Nothin' happened, I didn't absorb him. Then…then he told me to consciously _think _about draining him, and I did. I drained him the second time, and got his thoughts."

"So you can, like, control your powers now?" Kitty asked, wide-eyed. "You can touch now?"

"I think so," Rogue said, deliberately avoiding eye contact with Remy. "In order to absorb people, I have to consciously think of doing it. It's not automatic anymore."

"Well, that's great!" Kitty said enthusiastically. "Even if we had to go through all of this sh…stuff…to do it."

Rogue smirked.

"You can say 'shit,' Kitty, I won't tell the professor or Scott."

"Anything else, Rogue?" Remy asked lightly. Somehow he didn't think Rogue would be this tense if all that had been affected was her control.

"Er, yeah. I can call up other absorbed powers at will. It's like looking up books in the library," Rogue said, trying to explain the process in terms they'd understand.

Kitty's brow furrowed.

"What do you mean? Like, you can use other mutants' powers? Can't you do that already?"

"Well, sort of. The powers never seem to last very long, and I have a hard time controlling them when I absorb them," Rogue said. "This way, all I have to do is think of another mutant's power that I've taken, and I can use it. Like, when we teleported into the cell, I was thinking of Kurt's power."

"Whoa," Kitty whispered. "Do you know what this _means?_"

"What does it mean, Kit?" Rogue asked dryly, humoring her friend.

"You're, like, the most powerful mutant now! You can do _anything!_"

"I don't want to do anything, Kitty. I just wanted to be able to control what I already had," Rogue said, sadness in her voice.

"And now you can, _cherie,_" Remy said with a small smile, which she tried to return.

"I hope Piotr is okay," Kitty said, glancing at the door.

"I wish the bastard would hurry up," Remy complained, sliding to the floor against the wall. "I'm sick of being cooped up in this metal cube, I'm going stir crazy!"

"You're not the only one, Swamp Rat," Rogue said, but there was no bite to her voice as she sat on the floor next to Remy, her head unconsciously leaning against his arm.

"We'd better brace ourselves here in a few minutes," Remy said. "Because if the head case does to the Russian what I think he will, we're gonna be feeling it. Oh, we're gonna be feeling it."

----------

Piotr did not speak one word during the entire walk to the procedure room, and Essex in turn did not speak to him. It was only when they reached the door and Piotr saw the destroyed door did he comment.

"Ah, this has Remy written all over it," he murmured, examining the burnt remains of the gnarled door.

"Indeed it does, Mr. Rasputin. Now if you'd come inside, we can get this over with."

A few minutes later, Piotr found himself down to his boxers, lying stark still on the table and Essex hooked him up to the machine. He briefly considered attempting to overpower Essex on his own; even without his power, he was still exceptionally strong and fit.

"Don't even think about it," Essex snarled. "I'd have you writhing on the floor in agony before you could land a punch."

It was pointless to deny what he'd been thinking, so Piotr remained silent.

"For that little stunt, I won't disable your collar," Essex snapped, eyes flashing. "You'll just have to trust that I've improved you, I won't give you the opportunity to prove it by smashing me through a wall!"

Again, Piotr said nothing. He figured it was better to at least attempt to be stoic around Essex. Any overt show of anger or emotion was likely to be punished.

He remained cool and unemotional right up until Essex threw the machine's switch.

Then he screamed, the agony escaping his lips in a way that it hadn't with Remy. Unlike Rogue, his body refused to defend itself by falling unconscious.

"What is happening to me?!" he cried out, bucking on the table.

_Knives…hot, sharp knives…everywhere… _

"I am improving you, Mr. Rasputin. Deep within you lies the potential to be a god, a titan! You call yourself Colossus, and I shall make you a true one."

_Fingers, in his brain, poking around, what were they looking for…?_

"Pay no mind to that odd sensation in your head. It's merely the machine looking through your mind, looking for latent triggers. It will all be over soon, if you don't lose your mind first," Essex said gently, rubbing a hand over Piotr's forehead.

Somehow, the machine began to wind down. The minutes felt like an eternity, an eternity of pain, discomfort and terror. Because of his mutation and imposing figure even under normal circumstances, Piotr was quite unfamiliar with all-out fear, having so rarely anything to be afraid of. This, though, this fear of losing his mind, trumped all else.

It ended, and Piotr sat up as Essex disconnected the electrodes. The collar still pulsed, having never been turned off, but even with it on, Piotr could still feel a dormant beast purring within him. The collar might keep his powers at bay, but regardless, he _felt _them clearly. They were _there._

"At this time I'd normally give you the opportunity to discover your abilities by disabling the collar," Essex said, holding up his remote control. "Unfortunately, given the nature of your abilities, that won't be possible. You'll have to let me know how it goes once I release you."

Piotr snorted in disbelief as he pulled his uniform back on.

"You doubt my word all you want, but haven't I kept my word thus far? I promised to improve you all, and I have!"

"You have kept us prisoners against our will!" Piotr barked, his repressed anger coming out. "You threatened us with death if we did not go along with you, yet this experiment could easily have killed us all!"

"Indeed, it could have. But if it had, I would have found other candidates. They wouldn't have been who I'd have wanted, but we all must make sacrifices," Essex replied.

"You are insane," Piotr said emphatically.

"Perhaps. But for now, we must head back to the cell and retrieve the Shadowcat."

"You should not do this to Katya!" Piotr said angrily as he followed Essex out of the room.

"Your emotions blind you, Mr. Rasputin," Essex snapped as they walked through the hallway. "You do not see Kitty Pryde as a weapon, as a mutant, no. You see her as a friend and a potential companion. As you increase your wisdom, you will discover that such emotional attachments are wasteful and problematic."

"That is where we differ, then," Piotr muttered.

The two men spent the rest of the return walk in silence.

When they opened the door to the holding cell, the other three mutants looked surprised. It was obvious that they'd been expecting Colossus to burst through one of the walls.

"For my own safety, and his, I have disallowed Mr. Rasputin to demonstrate his potential," Essex said by way of explanation. "Believe me though, it is there. Now, Miss Pryde, if you will?"

Piotr and Kitty gave each other a firm hug before the youngest of them held her chin up and followed Essex out the door.

Remy and Rogue went to embrace Piotr, who looked agonized as his eyes remained on the door, his thoughts on Kitty.

----------

Like Rogue, Kitty almost immediately passed out once the process began. The stress was simply too much for her to take, and her mind and body simply shut down in self-defense.

Essex had to use a slight electric jolt to wake her up. When she did, her movements were jerky and violent.

"_God!_" she cried, her eyes immediately watering with tears as she remembered the split second she spent in agony.

"Not quite, Miss Pryde, at least, not yet," Essex answered. "You may redress."

Kitty avoided eye contact with him as she pulled her uniform on over her shorts and camisole. The collar still vibrated slightly around her neck, still active.

"Would you like to explore your powers, Miss Pryde?" Essex asked. "Do not bother denying it; I know what you want. Your curiosity could one day be your downfall, you know."

Kitty huffed.

"Fine, I want to practice it."

"Yes, of course. And if I let you practice it, do you promise to be a good girl and not try to escape?"

"I promise," Kitty said, knowing in her gut that resistance was futile.

"It _is _futile, yes," Essex said as he switched her collar off.

"I don't feel different," Kitty said, exasperated. "Are you sure that everyone has these latent abilities?"

"Oh yes, Shadowcat, yes. Theoretically, there's really no such thing as exceeding your potential. It is simply a matter of will."

As the words left his mouth, Kitty gasped. It was like what happened when she phased, only now, it was just…how she was.

"Oh my God!" she cried as her body appeared to flicker in and out of visibility. She passed her hand through the table, finding that she could do it without thinking of it. She pictured her solid, normal form, and immediately she shifted back to it.

"Yes, fascinating!" Essex exclaimed, clapping lightly. "_That _is your true form now, Miss Pryde. Your weak, solid human form will become secondary. You must consciously attempt to assume it!"

Without warning, he gripped the nape of Kitty's neck and plowed her head down against the solid block that formed the table. Kitty yelped and phased herself, finding her head and shoulders lodged in the table as Essex released her. She began to panic, worried she might not be able to breathe, except that…she could. Normally she was limited in her phasing because of a need to breathe, but now, she could breathe within the molecules of the table as easily as she could anywhere else.

She released herself from the table, understanding what Essex had been trying to prove when he forced her into it.

"So, what? I can stay in phasing mode _all the time _and breathe when I'm phasing, no matter for how long?"

"That would be correct. You might practice this with Wolverine at some point, but I'd be willing to bet that you can now phase through extraordinarily dense materials, such as adamantium.

"How marvelous though. Normally you have to work hard during combat to concentrate on dodging dangerous objects. Now, though, you don't have to expend that energy! You're _invincible!_"

Kitty shrugged. Perhaps she was.

"I'm going to turn your collar back on before I take you back to your cell," Essex said, reaching for his remote.

"I thought you were going to release us!" Kitty cried.

"Oh, I am. In time."

As he turned away from her, his finger on the remote's switch, Kitty acted fast. She concentrated on her neck, activating her phasing power. Essex flipped the switch of the remote, unaware that while it was on, it wasn't technically in contact with Kitty's skin. Kitty was extremely careful not to otherwise activate her powers and clue him in on what she'd done. She also struggled to keep her mind as blank as possible, instead projecting a normal sense of fear and dread that wouldn't arouse his suspicions. His back was turned to her now; he wasn't paying any attention to the few inches of her neck where the collar pulsed against what amounted to nothing.

The two made the already well worn walk back to the cell, Kitty praying that her sudden boldness would not be for nothing.


End file.
